One word can make a difference
by Nessa3
Summary: If Remus Lupin has said just one more word before leaving the Shrieking Shack, how would that have affected Harry's future? Set in Harry's third year (no duh!)Read and review pleaz!
1. That one word

What would happen if Remus had said just one extra word before leaving the Shrieking Shack after catching Peter? This is my version on the events.  
  
It probably isn't very well written but oh well. Pleaz read.  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story except maybe the slight changes I made to J.K's plot line.  
  
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************************** PoA (page 377)  
  
"And two of us should be chained to this," said Black, nidging Pettigrew with his toe. " Just to make sure."  
  
"I'll do it," said Lupin.  
  
"And me," said Ron savagely, limping forward.  
  
Black conjured heavy manacles from thin air; soon Pettigrew was upright again, left arm chained to Lupin's right, right arm to Ron's left. Ron's face was set. He seemed to have taken Sacabbers's true identity as a personal insult. Crookshanks leapt lightly off the bed and led the way out of the room, his bottlebrush tail held jauntily high.  
  
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"Stupefy!" Lupin shouted. Seeing that Pettigrew was now limp, he followed Crookshanks throught the door.  
  
************************** PoA (page 378-381)  
  
Harry had never been part of a stranger group. Crookshanks led the way down the stairs; Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron went next, looking like entrants in a six-legged race. Next came Proffesor Snape, drifting creepily along, his toes hitting each stair as they descended, held by his own wand, which was being pointed at him by Sirius. Harry and Hermione brought up the rear.  
  
[...]  
  
Snape collided with Lupin pettigrew, and Ron, who had stopped abruptly. Black froze. He flung one arm to make Harry and Hermione stop.  
  
Harry could see Lupin's silhouette. He had gone rigid. Then his limbs began to shake.  
  
"Oh, my --" Hermione gasped. "He didn't take his potion tonight! He's not safe!"  
  
"Run," Black whispered. "Run. Now"  
  
But Harry couldn't run. Ron was chained to Pettigrew and Lupin. He leapt forward but Black caught him around the chest and threw him back.  
  
"Leave it to me -- RUN!"  
  
There was a terrible snarling noise. Lupin's head was lengthening. So was his body. His shoulders were hunching. Hair was sprouting visibly on his face and hands, which were curling into clawed paws. Crookshanks's hair was on end again; he was backing away --  
  
As the werewolf reared, snapping its long jaws, Sirius diappeared from Harry's side. He had transformed. The enormous, bearlike dog bounded forward. As the werewolf wrenched itself free of the manacle binding it, the dog seized it about the neck and pulled it backward, away from Ron and Pettigrew. They were locked, jaw to jaw, claws ripping at each other --  
  
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Finally, the two animals made it to the Forbidden Forest and disappeared. Harry, Ron, and Hermione didn't know what to do. They were standing there with a stupified man and a cat. Hermione was the first one to speak.  
  
"Let's bring Pettigrew to Dumbledore. I think Sirius can handle Professor Lupin for now."  
  
The three friends trudged up to the castle. Hermione now carried Snape and Harry helped Ron with Pettigrew. They were making their way up a staircase when Snape started to wake up. Harry was the first to notice.  
  
"Uh oh. What do we do now?" he asked frantically.  
  
"How 'bout we give him another whop in the head and then we won't have to worry about --"  
  
"Ron! He's still a teacher, we can't do that!" Hermione /almost/ seemed offended by his suggestion.  
  
"Hey mate! It was worth a shot!"  
  
"You too Harry! Aren't you ashamed of yourselves? Even if this is Snape, you could be expelled for that."  
  
"You could be expelled for what exactly Miss Granger?" Uh oh! Snape was finally awake.  
  
"Umm, well." Hermione was at loss for words. She signaled to Harry and Ron to try and help her.  
  
"Don't even bother trying to answer. Dimwits like you wouldn't ever be able to," Snape wasn't going to go easy on them. He obviously remembered quite well who had knocked him out. "There are many things you have done today that deserve expulsion. I think we should bring you to the headmaster."  
  
"Sir," Hermione began, "That's exactly where we were going. See --"  
  
"Hold your tongue Miss Granger. Save it for the headmaster."  
  
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Is it any good? Review and tell me pleaz. This is my first fanfic so I need constructive feedback. Thanx! 


	2. The telling of the tale

Thank you to anyone who reviewed. I was really happy! Lots of people asked about the Dementors and Sirius. I felt that since Harry never told Sirius that Pettigrew had escaped Sirius would have gone back to Remus to help him and the Dementors would have eventually gone away. If you really want me to add the dementors then tell me and I'll do it. I don't have really anything else to say so... on with the story.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story. JK does.  
  
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Snape started walking down the hallway when he noticed that Harry, Ron and Hermione weren't following him. He turned around and that's when he noticed Pettigrew. He turned so white that he could almost have been mistaken for a corpse.  
  
"P-pettigrew?" Snape wanted to make sure his assumption was correct.  
  
"He's been stunned proffesor. We're taking him to Proffessor Dumbledore. He should be enough to prove that Sirius is free," Hermione wasn't sure how much to tell him. She wanted to go to Dumbledore as soon as possible. She didn't think Harry would like it if something happened to Pettigrew. If he got away...  
  
"Harry, Ron," Hermione had turned her attention to her friends. If Snape wanted to enter the "Pretend You're a Stone" contest then she wasn't stopping him. "Why don't you bring Pettigrew up to Dumbledore. I'll wait for Snape to snap out of it."  
  
"That'll be quite unnecessary /search?q=necessary&r=2 Miss Granger. Why don't we all go uup together. It'll be easier." Snape still seemed a bit out of it, but all three obliged. They were almost racing. Maybe they'd be able to make it to Dumbledore's office without having points taken off... No, it wasn't going to happen. Just as they made it to the gargoyle, they heard Snape begin to talk.  
  
"Oh yes," he drawled, "before I forget, 50 points from Gryffindor each for being out of the school bounds. And I think 20 points Ieach/I for hexing a teacher as well."  
  
"Uhh," a soft groan slipped through Hermione's mouth. Damn Snape! 210 points in one evening. What will everyone say? But they didn't have too much time to think about it. Snape had whispered the password to the gargoyle and he was now waiting for them to follow him. They climbed the stairs and entered Dumbledore's office after hearing an "enter" from inside.  
  
"Severus! What brings you here at a-" Dumbledore had stopped talking after seeing Pettigrew. "My, what a surprise. Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, Miss Granger, would you please explain where you found Mr Pettigrew. I was under the impression he was dead." Harry could see that Dumbledore wasn't smiling. He decided he should be the one to speak after Ron poked him in the ribs.  
  
"Well sir, I think we should wait for two more people to explain except one of them won't be able to make it till morning."  
  
"And Mr Potter, who exactly would these two people be?"  
  
"One of them is Proffesor Lupin sir, and the other, well," Harry looked to Hermione for help. She shrugged her shoulders. "It's Sirius Black," Harry quickly continued, "but don't get panicked sir. He's innocent. It was Pettigrew who did it all."  
  
"Dear me, that wasn't what I was expecting. Well Harry, I'll give Mr Black a chance to explain himself. I suppose you already know the story, am I right?" Dumbledore was thinking deeply.  
  
"Yes sir, but I don't know if I'll get it right and I think it should be Sirius that tells the story."  
  
"Of course, I understand. Now, why don't we see what Mr Pettigrew has to say. Is he only stunned?" Hermione nodded. Dumbledore picked up his wand and said "Enervate". Pettigrew woke up suddenly.  
  
"Where am I?" he looked around. Then he reconized it. He had been here so many times as a student. He and the other Marauders were always getting into trouble. "Dumbledore! Please, you have to help me! Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were going to kill me!" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at this and looked at Harry as if to confirm this.  
  
"It's true sir, but I stopped them. I didn't think my father would have wanted his two best friends to become killers for a son of a- well, for Ihim/I."  
  
"I still don't understand but I think we'll find out soon enough. Severus, can you please take Pettigrew and leave him in the Hospital Wing."  
  
"Proffesor," it was the first time Ron had spoken so far, "can you tie him up. I think he's going to try and run away. You see, he was the Potter's secret keeper and now he's running because we know!" Dumbledore was slightly taken aback. He looked to Pettigrew.  
  
"I didn't do it! I swear!" Pettigrew was frantic. He was looking around trying to see if he could escape somewhere.  
  
"Peter Pettigrew!"  
  
Someone had come into Dumbledore's office. It was McGonagall. She fainted when she saw the short, balding adult in the room.  
  
"Alright, Severus, can you bring Minerva and Mr Pettigrew to the Hospital Wing? Make sure Mr Pettigrew is locked in a room without windows."  
  
"And without mice holes. He's an unregistered animagus. A rat." Hermione made her first contribution to the conversation now too. "I think I heard of a spell that doesn't let somone transform. Maybe you could use that one."  
  
"An unregistered animagus too. My Peter, you're full of surprises today. Severus, can you place the spell on him too when you get there."  
  
"Yes headmaster." Snape left with McGonagall and Pettigrew. Dumbledore then let out a long sigh.  
  
"You three probably shouldn't go back to Gryffindor tower. You can stay in here. I'll get you some sleeping bags. Do you three need anything else?"  
  
"No sir, thank you sir." They answered together as one.  
  
"Very well, I'll come get you when Remus gets back. Good night."  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione stretched out on the sleeping bags Dumbledore had conjured for them.  
  
"What do you think Harry? You just meet the person who sold your parents to You-Know-Who."  
  
"Hermione, leave him alone. He doesn't want to be bothered. Let's just go to sleep. I have a feeling we're going to have a long day tomorrow." Ron came to Harry's defense.  
  
"Alright. Goodnight all," Hermione then closed her eyes and went to sleep. After bidding each other goodnight, Harry and Ron soon followed.  
  
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McGonagall came in quietly the next day at 7:30 and shook Harry, Ron and Hermione awake.  
  
"NO!! Not teddy!" Ron shouted. Harry and Hermione giggled quietly at McGonagall's face. She seemed almost revolted that a thirteen year old still had a teddy. After they had completely woken and had the biscuits McGonagall gave them, they sat on the chairs in the office and waited for Dumbledore to come in with everyone. Harry figured that Dumbledore had explained the situation to McGonagall since she didn't faint when Pettigrew and Sirius came in after Lupin and Dumbledore. After morning greetings had been exchanged and everyone was seated confortably (Dumbledore had added several chairs so everyone could sit down) Dumbledore began talking.  
  
"Sirius, would you like to begin. Please tell me about what has happened to you since James and Lily found out that Voldemort was after them." Ron flinched at the name.  
  
"Of course Albus. Well, I think all of you know that on August 28th, James and Lily were told by Albus that Voldemort was after them and their son Harry," at this Sirius looked at Harry. "They talked about it for a while and decided the safest thing to do would be to use the Fidelius Charm. They wanted me to be their Secret-Keeper. I thought about it and agreed, but then the day before they were going to perform the charm, I changed my mind. I told Lily and James that Voldemort would come to me first, so instead we would trick him. They would use Peter as their Secret-Keeper. They agreed. Then, the night they died, I went to check on him. When I got there he wasn't. There wasn't any sign of a fight. I got worried so I went to see Lily and James, but..." This was obviously still very hard for Sirius, even after yesterday. He continued. "Well, by the time I got there it was too late. I sat down and started to cry. I conforted Harry too. I was extremely happy he had made it. It was only later that I saw Hagrid. He was looking for Harry. He wouldn't let me keep him so I let him borrow my motorcycle. I was going to look for Peter and I wouldn't need it. Because by then I had realized that Peter had betrayed them, betrayed us. I went into London to look for him. I finally found him and had him cornered, but before I could say anything, he started yelling, saying that I'd betrayed Lily and James. Then he blew apart the street with his wand that was behind his back. I suppose he cut off his finger after. Then he could transform and run away with the other rats in the sewers. I was caught by Ministry officials and thrown into Azkaban." Sirius paused. He seemed unsure of what to do. "Albus, sir, could I have a glass of water?"  
  
"Of course Sirius," Dumbledore seemed amused at Sirius's sudden shyness. He got up and went to one of the closets and got out a pitcher of water. He then conjured seven glasses and served everyone. After a couple minutes break Sirius continued.  
  
"In Azkaban, the only reason I stayed sane was because I knew I was innocent. It wasn't a happy thought so the Dementors didn't take it away. I knew that there was Harry out there living with Lily's stinking muggle relatives. Also, well, not many people know this but, uhh, I'm an unregistered animagus along with Peter and James." He looked at Dumbledore, but it was McGonagall that reacted first.  
  
"Sirius Black! When did you do that? Not many people are capable of doing that and the only books on the procedure that aren't at the Ministry are in the Restricted Section here at Hogwarts."  
  
"Well, it took us three years but we finally were able to do it in our fifth year."  
  
"Is that why you cracked up in that class I taught about animagi? I knew there had to be another reason than, if I remember correctly, 'Lily had something in her teeth.'"  
  
Sirius grinned sheepishly.  
  
"Yes, congratulations Sirius. Please continue however, I want to get all this to Ministry before the weekend tomorrow."  
  
"Of course," Sirius continued his tale. "So whenever it was too much, I transformed. Years passed, and then last year, Fudge came to visit and he had the Daily Prophet in his hands. I asked him if I could have it. There on the front page was Peter in his rat form. I recognized him because he was missing his front paw. I read that he'd be going back to Hogwarts that fall, where Harry was. I had to get out of there, so when the Dementors opened the door to feed me, I slipped by them in my animagus form. From there I swam to shore and headed to Hogwarts. This is where I've been ever since. Then last night, I sensed Peter with Harry on the grounds. I grabbed Ron and Peter and brought them to the Shrieking Shack. I knew that if Harry was anything like James he would follow, and I wasn't wrong. A few minutes later, he was there with Hermione." Sirius took a drink and Remus continued for him.  
  
"I was in my office looking at the Marauder's Map because I had a feeling that Harry would try and see Hagrid because of the hippogriff. (A/N: Sorry, Buckbeak didn't make it. I didn't think it'd be worth it to have them go back in time to save him) When they left the hut, there were four of them. I saw the name Peter Pettigrew. I knew he had to be alive because the Map has never been wrong before. Then I saw Sirius come on and grab Ron and Peter and leave by the path through the Weeping Willow. I ran down to the grounds and crawled through the path. There I met Harry, Ron, Hermione and Sirius..."  
  
(A/N: I'm not going to write all this, because I'm sure you all know what happens and I'm tired of typing. It's getting late for me. I just want to finish the chapter.)  
  
"... So then this morning I woke up to find Sirius next to me telling me we had to go see Dumbledore." Remus finished.  
  
"Thank you Remus, Sirius. Peter, you've been listening to them. By the looks of things, for the second time. Do you have anything to say?" Dumbledore didn't sound too happy with Pettigrew.  
  
"I-I didn't mean to! He was forcing me! Don't send me to Azkaban!" Pettigrew sounded pathetic in his little, squeaking voice.  
  
"DON'T LIE! YOU WENT OVER TO HIM YOURSELF! YOU FILTHY PIECE OF SCUM! YOU SON-OF-A-BITCH! YOU FU**ING BASTARD!" Sirius roared. He had really lost it.  
  
"SIRIUS! Stop it man! You have to learn how to keep you temper. Now breath." Remus was trying to calm his friend. It looked like he was succeeding. Sirius was starting to breath normal again. After he was completely calmed down, Dumbledore started speaking again.  
  
"Ok, I'm going to send the notes to the ministry. Don't worry Sirius, I'll end it before you're little outbreak." Sirius breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't think the ministry would like to see he'd been cursing like that at Peter. "Minerva, can you take Mr Pettigrew to your office and lock him up. Use several charms please. This one looks very frantic. And make sure he doesn't kill himself." McGonagall nodded. She took Pettigrew and left. "Now, Sirius, there's no doubt that you're innocent but Fudge would have my head if he learnt that I let you walk around without any protection so Would you please let me tie your hands and lock you in here. I'll let Remus and Harry stay with you. Mr Weasley, I need you to take this letter to Professor Snape." Ron let out a soft groan. He whispered to Harry, "It was nice knowing you mate," and left. "Miss Granger, I believe we have to talk about a time-turner that is in your possession. Would you come with me please."  
  
They left and the three people left in the room looked at each other and then formed a group hug.  
  
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I hope you like it. Review again pleaz. 


	3. A reunion and odd teachers

Thanx again to everyone who reviewed. I appreciate it. Tempest in Blue, thanx for reminding me about Ron's leg. I'd forgotten  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story. JK does.  
  
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"You look horrible Remus! What have you been doing these past twelve years?" Sirius had finished asking Harry about the Dursleys and calling them several names. He had now turned his attention to Remus.  
  
"You always were quite blunt," Remus said. "And for your information, I've been working with a moving company. My lycanthropy gives me a bit of extra strength and the others don't notice anything weird because we get several days off a month, so I have time to rest."  
  
"I mean, have you been eating? Look at you!"  
  
"Look at yourself Padfoot! You're just being a big hypocrite!" Harry was grinning.  
  
"I don't count. I'm an escaped convict and I've been living in Azkaban." He said this while playfully hitting Harry on the arm.  
  
"But Professor, I don't get why you didn't get a job in the wizarding world," Harry seemed a bit confused.  
  
"Harry, please don't call me Remus unless it's in class. I feel terribly old when people call me that. It makes me think of Albus's beard. Of course Moony works too."  
  
"I should hope we can still call you Moony. It was me who thought of that name. Remember how annoyed you were when I called you that!" Sirius grinned at the memory.  
  
"Well Harry, the wizarding world doesn't take to werewolves well, and they get very suspicious if someone starts missing work during the full moon. I've tried a couple of magical jobs, but they don't last long."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
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Ron was many things but one thing he wasn't was a coward, so, as he was heading toward the dungeons, he was thinking about what he could say to Snape to defend himself. He arrived shortly and he knocked on Snape's office door.  
  
"Come in," he heard Snape say.  
  
Ron opened the door and immediately he was greeted with a scowl and a bitter remark.  
  
"Mr. Weasley, what is your explanation for your quite unexpected visit to see the mean potions master?"  
  
"Sir, Professor Dumbledore wanted me to give you this." Ron handed him the letter and started to leave the room when Snape stopped him.  
  
"Mr. Weasley, I don't remember telling you that you could leave. I would like you to take this to Dumbledore." He handed Ron a letter. "Unfortunately, I will not be able to give this to him. If I find out that he did not receive this letter in perfect condition, I will send Gryffindor into negative numbers."  
  
"Yes sir. Can I go now?" Ron asked a bit hopefully.  
  
"Yes Weasley, you may go. You also may want to stop by the Hospital Wing and have Madam Pomfrey look at your leg before going to see Dumbledore."  
  
Ron didn't know what to say, so he nodded and left the room. He headed towards the Hospital Wing wondering why on earth Snape would want his leg to get better. The greasy git was probably just trying to make fun of the fact that he had a broken leg.  
  
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"Miss Granger, I suppose you haven't told anyone about the time-turner?" Dumbledore and Hermione were in a classroom near Dumbledore's office. He had put a Silencing Charm on the room so that no one would be able to hear what they were talking about. "I want you to do something. It is a bit against the law though. Are you willing?"  
  
Hermione was a bit stunned. Dumbledore wanted her to break the law? He was acting a bit odd. She thought about and decided what she would say.  
  
"Yes sir, I am."  
  
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Sorry it took a while to get out. I was a bit busy. It's also a bit short. I'll try and have the next one be a bit longer.  
  
Review pleaz :) 


	4. Hermione's task 1:The Beginning

OMG! I am sooooo soooo sorry I didn't get this up sooner!! I was really busy in December, and then I left for vacation. This one might not be too long either, I just wanted to get something up. Anyways, I hope everyone forgives me and Happy New Year!  
  
Disclaimer: See chapters 1 to 3.  
  
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Hermione turned the time turner once as Dumbledore had told her. He had preformed a charm on it to send her to the desired time. He had also handed her a large envelope which he said contained all the information she would need. The only hint he had given her was that she was going to help somebody.  
  
Hermione looked around, she was still in Hogwarts, just as Dumbledore said. Then she headed to one of the many broom cupboards in the castle to open the envelope and read it. She took out all the sheets of parchment. There were a lot of them. The first one, she could tell was a letter to Dumbledore himself so she skipped it and went to the next one and started reading:  
  
  
  
*Miss Granger, I hope you'll excuse me for not giving you a longer explanation. I don't want to take too long for I fear it would cause suspision. I asked Professor Snape to come up immediately and you know how he is... What I would like you to do is not dangerous, but it will take a lot out of you. If, at the end of reading everything in this packet, you do not wish to continue, you are not oblidged. Just go up to myself and say so, "I'll" be happy to send you back to the future. Before you start reading I'll have you know that the year in which you are in is 1973. Knowing you, right away you're going to say, "That's when Harry's parents went to school!", and yes, you're right. Except you aren't going to talk to them really. After hearing this I know you will figure it out. I want you to work with Professor Severus Snape. I'm sure you're now wondering what you're going to have to do. I want you to finish Hogwarts in Slytherin and become Severus's friend. Sit down and think about that for a few minutes. Then turn to the next page and keep reading.  
  
Yours sincerely, Professor Albus Dumbledore Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry*  
  
Hermione was stunned to say the least, but she did as she was told and sat down and gave it a good thought.  
  
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A/N: If I continue along these lines, I'll have to stop writing about Harry, Ron, Sirius and Remus. What do you all think? Should I turn this story temporarily (like 10-20 chapters, depending on how long they are) into a Hermione-Snape story? They wouldn't become romantically involved, just friends. (and not best best friends either) Let me know what you think. Thanks.  
  
Again sorry about the delay!  
  
REVIEW PLEASE!!!!!!! 


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